Schools in the Rock Creek district were on high alert Monday afternoon during a police pursuit in western Pottawatomie county. According to USD 323 Superintendent Kevin Logan, a Pottawatomie County sheriff’s deputy notified the district that they had two individuals on foot who were fleeing law enforcement around Hopkin’s Creek road and School Creek road. Police told administrators a lock down was not necessary, but just to be aware of the situation. The elementary schools did a “lock in,” meaning students and staff used the building but did not go outside for recess or outside classwork. The junior-senior high also added a few extra security measures,…
Author: KMAN Staff
“Reconstructing Civility” is the title of a symposium being held at Kansas State University Tuesday, with a half day interactive workshop on building trust through civil discourse. National Institute for Civil Discourse Executive Director Carolyn Lukensmeyer is one of the keynote speakers. She indicates the last presidential cycle took political discourse to a level we haven’t seen in modern politics. Reviving civility and respect is the purpose of her group with workshops such as the one offered at K-State Tuesday. KMAN’s entire interview with Carolyn Lukensmeyer follows:
Riley County Police are investigating two sex-related crimes, one involving a report for rape and criminal restraint in the southeast portion of Manhattan Monday. A 29-year-old woman told police an unknown male lured her to an office with the promise of a job offer before preventing her from leaving and raping her. Due to the nature of the crimes alleged, no additional information will be released. Police ask anyone with information to contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Riley County Police Officers also filed a report for aggravated indecent liberties with a child on Monday in a Riley County case…
Update: The highway was re-opened by 9 a.m. #### KMAN has received confirmation of the closing of Highway 24 between Wamego and St. Mary’s Tuesday morning. The Kansas Highway Patrol is working the accident, and Kansas Department of Transportation clean-up crews are on the scene. KMAN will provide more details when they become available.
Riley County commissioners approved the request of a local filmmaker to use a courtroom for his project Monday. Hal Dace brought the request to the commission after Chief Judge Meryl Wilson of the Riley County District Court expressed his allowance. “It’s partially a courtroom drama, and the main character is the county attorney,” Dace told the board. “Obviously it’s not meant to be any comment on our real county attorney, Barry Wilkerson. I know nothing about him, except that he’s held in high regard. “This is a totally fictional story, obviously.” Dace said the story centers around a manslaughter case and…
A Manhattan man charged with second degree murder and child abuse appeared in the Riley County District Court for a pretrial hearing on Monday afternoon. Andrew Gibson, now 26, submitted a plea agreement with the guidance of his attorney, Gary West. Division 1 Judge John F. Bosch approved the plea agreement along with county attorney Barry Wilkerson. Gibson pleaded guilty to second degree murder and issued an Alford plea on the count of child abuse. An Alford plea functions as a guilty plea, but the defendant maintains their innocence regardless of court opinion. Gibson’s minimum sentence would be 32 years and 10 months on…
A large fire totally destroyed 28 units of The Bluffs Apartment Complex in Junction City on Saturday evening. Junction City Fire Department Chief Terry Johnson told K-MAN at least 19 families and other individuals were displaced by the fire, which caused nearly $4 million in damages. A news release follows: Loss of the Fire that occurred at the Bluffs Apartment complex 1810 Caroline Ave. Building B in Junction City that occurred on 9 April 2017 is estimated to be near the insured value of the building of $3.8 million. Individual property loss of the residents for the building will vary as to…
Elton Gaines Jr., 22, was arrested in the 700 block of Allison Ave. on April 7, 2017 at approximately 6:20 AM. Gaines Jr. was arrested on Riley County District Court warrants for ID theft (x3), computer crimes (x4), and theft by deception (x3). Gaines Jr.’s total bond was set at $15,000. Brent Burleson, 58, of Eskridge, Kansas, was arrested while at the Riley County Police Department on April 7, 2017 at approximately 1:10 PM. Burleson was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. Burleson was given no bond. Officers filed a report for burglary in…
One of Manhattan’s best-known landmarks will be more accessible to people of all abilities and age after the local Kiwanis chapter installs an observation deck above the Manhattan sign on Bluemont Hill. Kiwanis member Kent Foster said the club got the idea for the project after brainstorming ways to commemorate their upcoming hundredth anniversary in 2022. The proposed observation deck has been in consideration for roughly a year now. “It gets a lot of activity, and I think it will be a useful project,” said Foster. Foster said the park sees as many as 50 visitors per day when the weather…
WICHITA — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz plans to come to Wichita to campaign for Republican candidate Ron Estes ahead of a special congressional election. The Estes campaign announced that Cruz would appear with the candidate during a Monday afternoon rally at Yingling Aviation. The special election is Tuesday in the 4th Congressional District of south-central Kansas. Estes is the state treasurer and he’s running to replace Mike Pompeo after Pompeo’s appointment as CIA director. The Democratic candidate is civil rights attorney James Thompson. Flight simulator instructor Chris Rockhold is running as a Libertarian. Cruz won the state’s presidential caucuses last year.…